By Malene Birger - AW23

By Malene Birger’s AW23 began not with an image but a phrase: “No Filter”. “I had this urge to make and present the pieces in an honest and pure way with no fuss and minimal retouching,” says creative director Maja Dixdotter. A fitting conceit for the neutral palette and lush textures favoured by Dixdotter over the past several seasons.

This time around, there’s a greater range of tones – soft camels to buttery browns, rich chocolate to jet black. Clever layering creates dynamic textural contrasts. A shearling vest, for instance, atop a popcorn-fuzz sweater, a leather cross-body bag cleverly placed in between. Elsewhere, blanket-like scarves are wrapped around the body – a chic cocoon against the winter chill. “For me, fall collections are always extra fun to work with,” says Dixdotter. “In Scandinavia, it feels like it’s fall and winter for a large part of the year, so it’s straightforward for me to relate to the season.” The silhouettes are slimmer. A delicious super fine shearling coat falls in a gentle A-line, mirroring the subtle bell sleeves. A raspberry red suit (Dixdotter loves an accent colour) is similarly slim.

Also making an unexpected fall/winter appearance, crochet. “I really wanted to work with open crochet for this fall, which is classically a summer material,” Dixdotter says. “But when we tried it in wool, it became something really exciting.” Crochet finds its way into a standout tunic and trouser set, the latter subtly flared just so. As always with Malene Birger, the devil is in the details, from the top of a luxurious camel hat to the tip of a shearling loafer toe.